Ingredients:
Per 6 servings

Preparation:

Peel the pumpkin and cut it into chunks. Place pumpkin in a pot and cover completely with milk. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Cook until the pumpkin is soft and ease to piece with a fork.

When done cooking, let pumpkin cool in the pot. Then puree the pumpkin and the remaining milk in a blender until smooth. In a separate pot, melt the butter and honey, previously diluted with 3 or 4 tbsp hot water. Once the butter and honey have been mixed together, pour them into the pot with the pumpkin puree. Place the pot over low heat and stir while adding the flour.

Continue cooking until the mixture becomes fairly thick. Then, remove the pot from the heat and let cool. Stir in the egg yolks, and then the whites, previously whipped into soft peaks, by hand or using an electric whisk. Carefully stir the mixture using a wooden spoon from the bottom up until you have folded in all the egg whites.

Now prepare the caramel to line the tart molds. Pour the sugar into a small saucepan. Add the lemon juice and place the pan over medium heat. Let the sugar melt without mixing it. As soon as it has completely dissolves and has turned golden brown, remove the pan from the heat and pour the caramel into the mold. Tip the mold in all directions so that it is well coated. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the mold, then place it in a 350° F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the dessert is golden.

When done cooking, remove the tart from the oven and let cool. Turn out onto a serving plate just before serving.

Chef's Tips

Be sure to pour the caramel into the mold quickly because it hardens in no time. Also, in order to make a tasty caramel, you must be very careful to stop cooking it at just the right moment (when it is a light amber color.) If you remove it from the heat too late, it will become dark and have an unpleasant, bitter flavor.

Food History

Honey came into existence long before man. In fact, honeybees were present in Africa more than 40 million years ago. Therefore, it should not be hard to believe that primitive man discovered honey a very long time ago and quickly learned to trap bees and later to raise them. Due to the unique sweetness of honey, it was considered a sacred ingredient in most cultures. In ancient India, for example, it was believed that honey helped to raise your soul to higher levels in transmigration. In ancient Greece, Aristotle believed that honey came from the heavens and called it “celestial dew.” The sweetness of honey has also made it an important ingredient in the human diet. Honey is a natural sweetener and for this reason, Charlemagne demanded that all the farmers in his empire raise honeybees to produce honey for him.